Is This Love?
by Shy.Mouse
Summary: Bella always had this minor crush on her older brother's bestfriend. But she shrugged it off as nothing more than puppy love. Now he's back and the feelings are back. So is there more beneath the surface?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just happen to bring forth a twist to her characters.**

Tossing and turning around, Bella had an eerie feeling that someone was watching her. That's when she felt the bed shift, and she wasn't moving this time. Her heart beat quickened and she felt the blood drain away from her face. Someone was in bed with her. Taking a deep breath, she turned around swiftly to her side and there in front of her was a pair of blue eyes.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Bella shoved the man off her bed with both hands. The man landed with a loud thud on the floor followed by a stream of profanities.

"Jesus! What hell did I do?" The man shouted at her and sat up rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"Uhm, I don't know James..maybe it's because you're in my bed in the middle of the freaken night!" She screamed at him and slapped him on the face with her pillow. He snagged the offending item from her hands and literally growled at her.

"Is this how you treat your own flesh and blood?" James accused, shaking the pillow at her face.

"James you moron, we aren't related by blood." She said as she tried to steal back her pillow.

"Same shit," he muttered out and stood up, smacking her on the head with the pillow. "Sup shorty."

"Shit," Bella rubbed her head and glared at her step brother, James. Annoying as he maybe, she loved the dumbass to death. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at him. She couldn't see him that clearly but from the little light from the moon she can tell James still had the same handsome features that made him Forks infamous playboys. His blond hair was tied back away from in a ponytail. She asked him once why he kept his hair long. His excuse 'it makes me look badass'."What are you doing here anyways? Mom and dad said you aren't supposed to be here until this Saturday."

"Well, I took an early vacation to spend more time with the familia." He grinned at her and sat at the edge of her bed. "And I'm here to kick a so called Black's ass."

Bella rolled her eyes at the mention of her ex boyfriend. She still couldn't figure out how she ended up with a sleaze bag like him. All she went through was months of verbal fighting and accusations. In the end, she finally found out that he had been cheating on her with his neighbor, Leah.

"He's not worth the trouble bro." She said with a shrug.

"Not worth the trouble? Sis any fucker that messes with your heart deals with me." He cracked his knuckles in emphasize.

Bella couldn't help but lunge herself into her brother's arms. When she was little she never did have an older brother to look after her. But when Charlie finally married Sue, everything changed. She thought that James would have been one of those annoying step brothers who had no care in the world. Especially, with how infamous James was, Bella assumed the worse. However, overtime she noticed that James may have been obnoxious but he was still caring.

She figured this out the hard way at school once. It was her freshmen year and for James it was his senior year. Bella was on her way to class when a bunch of junior boys ganged up on her. She thought the worse was about to happen but James and his pals came to her rescue. James practically punched the junior boys into a pulp. Jasper, James' bestfriend, managed to keep him from overdoing the beatings. She was so shaken up that she was literally trembling on the ground. Jasper saw this and grabbed James by the shoulders.

"Dude she needs you." The softer side of James showed up at that precise moment. He gathered Bella in his arms and carried her straight to the nurse's office, whispering soft words of reassurance on the way. Since then James and his friends kept a close eye on her. And even when they graduated no one dared to lay a hand on Bella Swan.

"I love you James." Bella whispered softly. James chuckled and ruffled her hair, hugging her back with brotherly affection.

"Love ya too little one."

* * *

"Hey dad, can Jasper stay over?" James asked, slumping down on the kitchen bar stool. Charlie flips over the newspaper he was reading to glance over at James.

"Sure son, he can stay in the guest bedroom." He said with a smile, taking a sip from his coffee mug. Now life for the Swans wasn't always this peaceful. Charlie and Bella used to live in a two bedroom house with a leaking roof and rusty plumbing. Charlie was just the police chief for Forks, so he never did earn enough money to buy a better house nor fix the problems on the house they currently lived in. Bella grew up getting used to living in conditions like that. But her mother, Renee, wanted something better in her life. In the end she left Bella and Charlie one night with just a note stuck on the fridge door saying she had enough.

Bella was broken hearted, she knew her mother never really held that much affection for her. However, she had always wished that maybe one day she would. Sadly, it never happened and Charlie ended up being a single parent to a 12 year old. He tried his best to be there for Bella 24/7 even if his job sometimes got in the way. But Bella was a bright kid, and she never really did ask for much.

Things changed after Charlie met Sue by mere accident. He clocked Sue going 60 on a 45 mph highway, it was basically love at first sight. And it was the first time for Sue not to get a ticket by a cop. Sue was a rich widow. Her late husband was an entrepreneur, and very good one at that. He passed away when the private plane he was aboard on crashed. James always feared that Charlie was after his mother's wealth. But when he witnessed the love and affection between them, he knew that is was actual love.

Bella took the open seat next to James with her bowl of cereal. She decided to go with blue jeans and a vintage tee for school. This was the last week for her, since she was graduating at Wednesday next week.

"So sport excited to get into college?" Charlie asked her with a wide grin. He was proud of his daughter and the accomplishments she made through in high school. She wasn't all perfect though, she did had minor detentions here and there, but overall she did good.

"Yuh-huh...sure, more classes to take with harder teachers. Mhmm I'm super excited." Charlie laughed and James smirked at her.

"It ain't that bad, lil sis." He winked at her. "Can't wait to see you in your ridiculous graduation gown."

"Shut it James, you had to wear those before also!"

"Yeah but they weren't that hideous when I graduated." Bella huffed out and continued eating her cereal. She got her graduation gown last week and the damn thing was indeed horrible. She looked like a walking banana, since the school decided to change their colors to blue and yellow. The lucky boys got the blue while the girls had to suck it up with the yellow gowns.

"Where's mom, dad?" Bella asked Charlie, while hopping off the stool to wash her bowl in the sink.

"Hmm..," he checked his watch before answering. "She should be getting home soon. She must've gotten caught up at the hospital." Sue was a part time nurse at Forks hospital. She really didn't have to work since they had enough money to last them through this lifetime. But Sue loved to help out and Charlie decided he'll retire at the normal age of retirement.

"I'm home!" The door to the garage opened, before an audible thud of it closing was heard.

"Hey mom!" James ran to give his mom and tight squeeze.

"Oh my, James!" Sue laughed and kissed her son on both cheeks.

"What are you doing here early? I thought you were arriving this Saturday?" She asked with puzzled look but a smile still evident on her face.

"That's what I asked him last night, he scared me half to death in bed." Bella said, drying off the bowl before setting it in the cabinet. Sue pinched her son's cheek and scolded him.

"Don't scare your sister like that."

"Ouch mom! I was only checking up on her!" Charlie chuckled and laid his newspaper down before walking over to Sue to give her a kiss.

"Sure son, her half screaming at night is just your way of checking up on her." Charlie laughed out.

"It's not my fault she's such a scardy cat."

"Whatever James, anyways I'm off to school!"

"Hey brat, hold on I'll drop you off. I wanna check out the old place." Bella rolled her eyes at the brat part but nodded at James.

"Fine just let me get my bag." She hugged both her parents goodbye first before skipping up the stairs to get her bag.

* * *

"So Jasper's staying over for the summer here?" Bella asked James while they lounged around in the living room area watching tv. The only reason why James was here was for her graduation and for Peter's wedding. Peter was one of his close buddies during high school and was the only one that decided to stay at Forks.

"Yup, he didn't get to leave early cause his job won't let him. The poor guy needs a break after this shitty year he's been having." James said, causing Bella's interest to peak up.

Bella never really had that much friends after James graduated except for Angela. She basically hung out her freshmen year with James and his crew, which included his best bud Jasper. Bella always had a slight crush on Jasper. From his shaggy dirty blonde honey hair to his cool gray eyes, something about him just oozes out calmness. But she knew Jasper would always picture her as James' little sister. However, that didn't stop Bella from daydreaming about him every day. She loved the simple moments when Jasper would open the door for her, kindly tucks a strand of loose hair away from her face, and scared the living daylights of every guy that gave her a bad look. He was her shining armor, or her pretend Romeo.

"Is everything okay with him?" Bella asked with worry in her voice.

"He's fine. Ya know Jasper, he's a tough guy like me." He pounded his chest to emphasize his point. "Anyways the girl he was dating, got pregnant.."

"What?" Bella shouted out in shock.

"Geeze, keep it down will ya? I'm not done yet..so..yeah this girl he was dating got preggo.." Bella snorted at the word but James ignored her, continuing on. "So Jasper was all freaked out about it..but he got over it and started making a plan to support her and stuff. Turns out in the end the babe wasn't his, it belonged to some other dude."

"You mean she was shagging another guy behind his back?"

"Yup, basically like what happened to you. Just minus the whole baby drama. By the way use protection alright?" James said, pointing his index finger at her before averting his attention back to the tv. Bella's face turned tomato red in embarrassment. She couldn't find a comeback for that one because she, herself, was still a virgin. That's when her mind started to wonder. James was eying her curiously from the corner of his eyes before realizing something.

"Oh damn sis, you're a virgin?" Bella's face was a deep shade of crimson by now.

"Jerk!" She threw a couch pillow at him in anger.

"Shit, sorry! I didn't know...geeze no need to get so physical." He pleaded, catching the pillow before it did any damage. He was sure his parents wouldn't be happy knowing the reason for the broken vase was because of a little misunderstanding. Definitely something he was not willing to explain, he thought. Bella glared at him then shifted her attention back on the show on the tv. Slowly, a frown started to form on her face.

"Don't fucking think like that." James grumbled out, his lips forming a grim line.

"Think of what?" Bella asked. All she was thinking of that maybe the reason why Jacob cheated on her was because she never gave it up to him. Why else would he fuck his next door neighbor, she thought solemnly.

"That douchebag." Bella's eyes widened at James answer.

"But...how.."

"Bella I'm a guy, and listen to me when I say he isn't worth it. Trash like that is eager for action and that's it." James punched his fist in his palm. "Makes me more eager to kick that bastard's ass." Bella shook her head and sighed.

"James...like you said not worth it." James chuckled, but that didn't stop him from thinking of ways to trick that Jacob kid into getting a beat down from him. His thoughts were interrupted by his cell ringing. He checked the ID caller to see it was Jasper. "Sup dude." He said as he answered it by the second ring.

"Hey man, I managed to get away from here early. Can you pick me up at the airport bro?" Jasper said in a exhausted tone.

"Yeah man, I'm on my way." James hanged up after a quick bye. "Hey I'm picking Jasper from the airport, wanna tag along?" James asked Bella, who was still frowning at the tv.

"Oh..uhm sure. Let me just change quickly.." Bella dashed up the stairs, her heart beating quickly. It's been two years since she saw Jasper, and knowing he was staying under the same roof as her made her giddy.

* * *

"So Bella besides that douchebag, how was the rest of your year?" James asked her while driving through Seattle traffic. They decided to take the SUV, not knowing how much luggage Jasper brought along with him.

"It's been pretty good. We have a new student, who's a senior like me. Her name is Victoria Sutherland. She's pretty cool." Bella didn't add the part that she was a fiery redhead with a model body. She knew James had a thing for redheads, she was planning on introducing her to him when he least expected it. She loved seeing him stutter, it rarely happened to him.

"There he is!" Bella shouted out, pointing at a tall guy with a slight mohawk hairstyle. His eyes were covered by tinted glasses and he complemented the whole look with a button down plaid shirt plus faded blue jeans with a pair of black cowboy boots. Damn he was hotter than before, Bella thought to herself.

"You seem more excited to see him than me." James inquired with a smirk.

"Shut it James, you two live in Cali together. So you guys get to hangout often, I haven't seen him in freaken years!" With that being said. Right when James pulled in front of Jasper, Bella was out of the car and into Jasper's arms. "Jazzy!"

"Bella!" Jasper chuckled out and twirled her around in his embrace. He then paused to look at the girl in his arms. He remembered the last time he saw her, it was graduation day and she decided to wear a flowered pattern dress. Her hair was swept up and away from her face, showcasing her natural beauty. What Jasper saw in this girl was the fully bloomed version of that sweet little girl. He knew that Bella would turn out into a beautiful woman. He just couldn't believe how much an attraction he would have on her.

Bella looked up at Jasper, seeing the form of stubble appearing on his face. He definitely looked stressed out, but still attractive. She had the sudden urge to just kiss him, luckily James broke that urge.

"Dude! What the hell? Am I missing something here?" James asked in serious tone but the smile on his face showed that he was teasing the two. He always had an itching feeling that his sister had a crush on Jasper, but Jasper returning the feelings was a bit of a shocker to him. He wasn't blind. He can tell there was something more beneath the surface.

"Naw man, I just haven't seen this cutie since what? Graduation day?" Jasper smiled at her, ignoring the erratic beating of his heart. He slowly eased her down to the ground and gave James a one arm hug. "Hey man, thanks for picking me up."

"It's cool dude, sorry if we're a bit late. Brat there took a while to change."

"Ugh. Shut up, it was the traffic." Bella explained to Jasper before glaring at James, who returned her glare with a wink. The ride back to the house was peaceful. James and Jasper talked in the front, while Bella opted to listen to her ipod at the back seat. She didn't notice she dozed off, when she felt a pair of arms carry her gently out of the car. From the scent she can conclude it wasn't her brother, it was Jasper. He smelled like fresh soap with a tinge of cinnamon. She can feel the muscles in his arms flex every time he shifted.

"Hey man, I'll take her."

"Nah I got her, she's light as a feather." Jasper mumbled out.

"Yeah, I know. I swear if I haven't seen her eat I would have thought she was starving herself." James chuckled out. She felt Jasper shake in silent laughter. Bella wanted to scoff at James, but if she did then Jasper would had to let her go. And she didn't want that.

"I'll carry her to room."

"Yeah you do that while you leave me with your fucking heavy ass bags."

"Dumbass, leave it there and I'll get it myself."

"Just go, already and I can handle your shit."

"Hey, my stuff isn't shit." She heard James mumble something then Jasper started moving towards the house. It wasn't long before she felt the soft sheets of her bed against her exposed skin. "Sleep well Bella." Jasper whispered softly, followed by a gentle kiss on her forehead. Bella wanted to open her eyes, but she had a feeling that Jasper was still looking at her. And he was.

Jasper was admiring her angelic beauty. He just couldn't comprehend this strange feeling he was having. It was new to him and he didn't know what it could be. Knowing he should go now, Jasper glided the back of his hand against her warm cheek before walking out of her room. When Bella heard the soft click of her door, she opened her eyes to look at the closed door. She laid her hand against her cheek, and wondered if Jasper had the same feelings as she did.

* * *

"Say cheese!" Bella glared at her brother's enthusiastic attitude. She wouldn't mind getting her picture taken once in a while. But somehow James ended up with her camera on graduation day and now he was snapping shot after shot none stop. Charlie and Sue left five minutes ago after Sue was called in for an emergency at the hospital. Bella waved them off, saying it was fine since the ceremony was already over. As James went on snapping away with her camera, Bella saw her friends Angela and Victoria. Unlike Angela, Victoria decided to move to California for an internship she got for a fashion company. Angela decided to stay at Washington and attend college here. Thinking this was the perfect opportunity for James to meet Victoria, Bella waved them over. Victoria ran and practically collided with her, hugging her in fits of laughter.

"Bella, long time no see." She laughed out, while Angela shook her head behind her.

"Funny Vicky, I just saw you ten minutes ago."

"Oh hush, it's all about the moment."

"Yeah, yeah. I want you guys to meet my brother and his friends." Bella was shocked at first to see Jasper, Peter with his fiancée Charlotte, Ben, and Mike there for her special day. They said they wouldn't miss a day like this since she was practically part of the gang. She knew she loved them for a reason and felt lucky to have that much people that cared about her.

"Hey you guys!" Bella called out at the gang. James turned around to look at her then froze. Bella mentally did score dance in her head, the look on his face was priceless. If she just had her camera instead of him, she could have had a keepsake of it. "I want you guys to meet Angela and Victoria." Bella pointed her girl friends out to the gang. Angela smiled bashfully at them, and Victoria waved at them with a wink at James. "Victoria..Angela..that frozen statue over there is my brother James." James snapped out of his dazed look to narrow his eyes at his sister. She ignored it and went on introducing them. "That's Jasper, Peter, Charlotte Peter's fiancée, Ben, and Mike." Ben had a similar dazed look on his face, but his eyes were directly at Angela. Bella bit down the side of her cheek, trying to keep her smile for showing. She managed to hit two birds with one stone. Jasper raised an eyebrow up at Bella's expression, and kept his own laughter in. He knew James pretty well, and redheads were his weakness.

Not wanting to be in the same car as James at the moment, Bella ended up being with Jasper in the car he rented for the summer. They were on their way to the house for the graduation party.

"James isn't going to let you down after that one." Jasper said into the quiet space of the car.

"I have no clue as to what you mean." Bella teased.

"Ha ha."

"Anyways, Vicky will give James a hard time. She has a stubborn streak to her."

"Well James needs a challenge, and those two kind of look good together. Did you see Ben's face?" Jasper glanced at Bella. She finally took off her hideous graduation gown and was now sporting a short blue dress. It was so simple and yet perfect for Bella's skin tone and figure. He had to shift slightly in is seat as he felt himself grow arouse. At the corner of her eye, Bella admired Jasper's silhouette. If she thought he looked handsome in his cowboy rocker outfit, she was wrong. Jasper was smoking hot with his hair styled up in spikes, and a leather jacket with dark black jeans.

"Oh my gosh, I did! He has it worse than James." Bella laughed at the memory. Mike had to smack Ben behind the head just to break his gaze from Angela.

"Are you trying to act like Cupid, Bella?"

"No, I'm not. Ben getting attracted to Angela is purely by accident. I didn't know he had a thing for brown haired shy girls." She giggled out, relaxing back to her seat. Something about Jasper always brought ease to her system. He was like a walking drug, valium to be exact. As they pulled up to the driveway, Bella was amazed at the sight she saw. "Wow, mom and dad went over the top." The house was wrapped up in shimmering lights and light blue streamers. They were all meticulously placed, making the house seem like a resort rather than the normal house she lived

"You expect them not to?" Bella shrugged her shoulders to Jasper's question.

"It's just... not that necessary."

"You amaze sometimes," Jasper mumbled softly.

"What do you mean by that?" she looked at Jasper, at the moment their eyes made contact the whole world seemed to shift underneath them. Her breathing deepened and her heart rate escalated. Jasper just smiled at her, tucking a strand of her away behind her ear.

"Come on, you don't want to be late for your own party."

"Right." Bella said, sounding a bit breathless. She got out of the car and Jasper reached for her hand, placing it on his arm. Bella looked up at him with a confuse expression, but Jasper just smiled and together they made their way inside the house. If Bella thought the outside was over the top, the inside was beyond that. Balloons hung in corners and there was even a DJ at the living room. Everyone from her high school was there and before Bella could consume all of this, Victoria pulled her away from Jasper's side. She looked back over her shoulder to see Jasper wave at her, before walking towards Ben who was being harassed by a drunken Mike.

"Beeellaaaa..you didn't tell me your brother was a total hottie!" Victoria squealed out, but her voice was drowned out by the high volume of music coming out from the speakers.

"Eww Vicky, he's my brother! Maybe that's why..?"

"Anyways, he's such a sweetie. Is he single? Do you mind if we got together? I mean..he may just think I'm cute and all. Heck we might not actually get together, 'together'." She quoted in the air with her fingers. "But I just didn't want to.. you know, let this ruin our friendship and all." Bella had to laugh. She never witnessed Victoria this nervous before.

"Vicky, you both are adults, well we are about to be adults." Victoria giggled. "Just please don't break his heart, and if he tried anything I'll kick his ass personally." Victoria hugged her so tight, she thought she was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen she was getting.

"Geeze Vicky, let Bella go slowly." Angela came to her rescue.

"Oops, sorry! And don't worry, you know me. I'm a teaser..but never a heartbreaker." And this was true. Victoria was the only girl Bella knew who can actually keep a friendly relationship with her ex. Riley was a good example. Many thought that Victoria used him as a way to gain popularity at school. When the truth was she really thought there was a connection between them. However things for them didn't work out so well, but they ended up just being friends in the end. She even helped the guy out with his date with Jane, the girl Riley's been crushing on for months.

"I know Vicky, just don't make it easy for him."

"Psssh now Bella that won't be me if I did that." Victoria winked at her, and made her way through the crowd in search of Bella's hot brother. Bella and Angela exchanged looks then laughed, watching Victoria hunt for her prey.

"So Angela what did you think of Ben?" Bella asked as she hooked her arm through Angela's own, pulling her towards the kitchen.

* * *

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Bella stared up at the sky to see that the stars were in view. Victoria was now having an intimate conversation with James and Ben was trying to get his nerves together to talk to a shy Angela. Love was in the air and Bella was sad, knowing she had no one. The patio deck was empty so Bella decided to enjoy the silence for a while until she had to return into the crazy mayhem inside. Suddenly, a voice broke through the silence. A voice she never expected to hear from again. Turning around she saw a figure standing underneath the shadows.

"Well, well don't you look pretty tonight Bella." The voice droned out.

"What the fuck are you doing here Jacob?" Bella asked, venom tracing her voice.

Jacob took a step forward and wobbled a bit, before straightening his stance up. Realization smacked Bella on the face. Jacob was drunk, and nothing good ever happens when someone was drunk. Panic ran through her system quickly, and she eyed the patio door hoping her brother or anyone for that matter came out for a fresh air like she did. But hope was ebbing away as Jacob took crooked steps towards her.

"Stay away from me Jacob." Bella tried to make her voice sound strong, but fear was catching up to her so her voice sounded like a whisper in the night.

"Now don't be like that sugar, we're just going to have some fun. Fun that I deserve after being stuck with your whiny ass for months." Tears were blurring her vision, as she took a step back every time Jacob got nearer.

"F-fuck you Jacob, my brother will kick your ass."

"That's if he finds out." Her blood turned ice cold at the malice in his voice. Bella surveyed her surroundings to find anything that can be used as a weapon. But there was just nothing strong enough to use against her ex. With one last drastic attempt, Bella turned around to run for her life. However Jacob was still fast enough to catch her by the arm, throwing her hard against the patio table. Bella let out a scream as her head made contact with the metal edge of the table. She slumped to the ground, disorientated with a major pain in her head. She tried to stand up, but Jacob grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her back hard against the wooden floor. Up close she can smell the sickening stench of alcohol emitting off of him. Every part of her body was aching so badly.

Jacob lifted his hand up to slap her, and Bella flinched waiting for the upcoming pain. But nothing happened, except she felt Jacob being tugged off of her followed by a loud crunching sound.

"You fucking son of a bitch! How dare you touch her!" Bella opened her eyes to see Jasper wrestling with Jacob, each one landing a punch on the other.

"Jasper," Bella's voice croaked. Jasper grabbed a hold of Jacob's head and slammed his fist directly into his bloodied up face. All Bella could think of was she didn't want Jasper taken to jail. "Jasper, p-please.." A sob strangled out through her lips, and Jasper finally looked up at her. His heart broke seeing how hurt and vulnerable she was. He threw Jacob on the ground with a last kick on the chest.

"Bella," He rushed towards her and cradled her in his arms gently. "Baby, where does it hurt?" He asked, softly cupping her tear stained cheek in his hand.

"My head," She sobbed out. Jasper ran his fingers gently into her hair, finding a fresh bump forming.

"That fucker, he'll die." He was about to stand up, but Bella grabbed the front of his shirt tight in her fists.

"Please no, just call the cops. Let them handle it." Bella pleaded. Jasper looked at her carefully before nodding his head. Picking her up bridal style, Jasper glanced at Jacob to make sure he was definitely out cold. Pleased to see he wasn't going anywhere soon, Jasper carried Bella inside and straight into the kitchen.

"Holy shit," Ben stammered out as Angela gasped. They were both at the kitchen deep in conversation when Jasper walked in carrying a messed up Bella.

"Bella! What happened?" Angela ran over as Jasper carefully placed Bella on a bar stool.

"Ben you got your cell with ya?" Ben nodded his head. "Call the cops, Jacob is on the patio deck out cold. He attacked Bella." Angela examined Bella's face and head, cringing slightly when she discovered the now growing bump on her head.

"I'll get some ice for that, we need to take you to the hospital. You might have a concussion." Angela went straight to get an icepack for her.

"Bella sweetie, what else did he do?" Jasper asked softly, rubbing his hands up and down her pale cold arms.

"I..he...," Bella broke down, tears flowing quickly down her cheeks.

"Shhh, he won't come near you. I'll make sure of it." Jasper held her close in his arms, kissing her forehead gently.

Bella nodded her head, "He threw me against the table. My head struck the metal side of it." She took a deep breath than continued on. "I tried to run for it, but he grabbed me by the shoulders and slammed me hard on the ground." Bella's whole body shook as sobs escaped her.

"Here," Angela handed Jasper the bag of ice. "Should I get James?"

"Yeah, but first get Peter. We'll need him to keep James from beating Jacob to death." Jasper spoke it out so coldly, that Angela flinched. "Ben, make sure the bastard is still there."

"Sure," Ben rubbed Bella's arm giving her a small smile as he passed.

A few minutes later James barged in with Peter keeping a strong hold on him. Victoria and Angela quickly rushed passed them to check on Bella. Angela was visibly shaken up, but Victoria's face was full of anger.

"Where's the fucker? I'll kill him!"

"James, calm down." Bella spoke weakly. Jasper still had his arms around her, with his free hand holding the icepack on her head.

"Jesus," James rushed towards her to look at her closely.

"I'm just bruised up, don't worry." Bella gave him a wobbly smile. He pulled her straight into his arms, mumbling apologies. "Ouch"

"Damnit James, don't hug her too tight!" Victoria smacked him on the shoulder.

"Shit, sorry." He let go of her placing her back on the stool. "I'm so sorry.."

"Shut it James, it's not your fault." Bella rubbed his cheek and smiled at him. "I'm okay, Jasper came to my rescue." James laid a hand on Jasper's shoulder, and nodded at him. Jasper stared at him with a puzzled look, before his eyes grew wide in realizing what he met.

"Where's the fucker?" Victoria spoke up, cracking her knuckles. Jasper looked at her with an amused expression, while James stared at her with admiration.

"Out at the patio, Ben's keeping an eye on him until the cops arrive." Victoria nodded her head at Jasper. Leaving a kiss on Bella's cheek, she stomped her way out the kitchen.

"You better follow her," Bella said with a small smile on her face even when it was apparent she was in pain. "She almost got expelled once for sticking up for Angela and me."

"She can do damage with those long nails of hers." Angela added on.

* * *

That night was a bit chaotic afterwards. Bella and Jacob were both sent to the hospital for different reasons. Bella had to get examined to make sure she didn't have a concussion. While Jacob was sent there to due to this injuries, including the additional ones he sustained when Ben wasn't quick enough to restrain and angry Victoria. Charlie was furious and made sure that Jacob was kept under heavy surveillance until he could be properly sent to jail. Bella didn't have a concussion but her body was covered with bruises.

A knock on her door brought Bella back to reality. "Yes?"

Jasper cracked the door open slightly, poking his head through to grin at her. "Hey there pretty lady, whatcha doing up at 2 in the morning?" He asked walking in the bedroom and closing the door behind him. He was shirtless except for his pajama bottoms. Whereas Bella just had James' old beat down AC/DC shirt.

"I couldn't sleep," Bella stared at Jasper's naked six pack chest before averting her attention elsewhere. Sighing, she sat up and leaned her back on the headboard. It's been three days after the Jacob incident and Bella was having nightmares from it. "Now you should be the one sleeping, Peter's wedding is tomorrow." Jasper shrugged his shoulders and walked over towards her. He struggled to keep his attention focus somewhere else instead of Bella's exposed legs.

"Ehh, couldn't sleep either." He said as he sat down on the edge of her bed, examining her closely with the little light coming through her window. He could see the shadows underneath her eyes. "Nightmares?" Bella frowned.

"It's frustrating me Jazzy. I can't even escape him in my dreams. He's everywhere." She grabbed a fist full of her hair in frustration, tugging on it hard.

"Hey now, don't be like that. It's normal Bella." He calmly said. Pulling her hands away from hair, he left small kisses on her knuckles. Bella felt her cheeks warm up as a blush appeared.

"I know it is. It's just that I wish I was strong enough."

"You are," He crawled his way over to her side, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Others would be in shock, but here you are still the same Bella. So you get scared easily and have these constant nightmares, it takes time." Bella nodded her head and leaned over until her head rested against his shoulder. Over the few days, Jasper and Bella had gotten even closer. Wherever she went, Jasper was there tagging along. Victoria and Angela said that he liked her. But Bella always thought it was his way of keeping a close eye on her. Whatever the true reason be, Bella was just happy to be around Jasper.

"When are you leaving?" Bella asked softly after a few minutes of silence with Jasper stroking her hair casually.

"You want me to leave so soon?"

"What? No!" She straightened up quickly, and looked directly at him. She calmed down when she saw the smirk on his face. Jasper was teasing her.

"I'm not leaving soon, so don't worry. I'll stick around longer...for you." Bella stared deeply into his eyes. She saw something glimmer beneath the surface of those gray eyes of his. Was it love? "Where ya going for college, Bella?"

"Uhm, I haven't decided yet. I got a scholarship for two universities but out of state." She spoke it in a soft whisper. Cradling his hand in hers, she traced the patterns in his palm as she tried to find the words to ask Jasper about these past few days.

"Bella-"

"Jazzy-"

They said simultaneously. Bella blushed with a shy smile, and Jasper chuckled.

"Lady's first."

"Right," She poked him and he laughed a bit louder. "Jazzy, why have you been hanging around me more often lately? Is it because you feel obligated to watch over me? Because you really don't have to it's not your job to-" Bella was cut off by the soft firmness of Jasper's lips against hers. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him back feverishly.

"Bella," he said her name against her mouth. "I did it because I care about you." He pulled back, framing her face in between his hands. "You have no idea how terrified and angry I was when I walked out that door to find him over you." He closed his eyes, his jaw clenching as he relived those memories. "If I was just a minute late, I…" Opening his eyes, Bella saw the conflicting emotions in them.

"Jazzy, you made it and that's all that matters. Don't think about the 'what if's'." Jasper chuckled and pulled her into his lap, causing Bella to straddle his thighs.

"You're amazing. I should be the one consoling you. Telling you everything is alright and yet here you are the one saying it to me."

"I guess I'm weird." She said with a smile on her face.

"No, you're perfect." He leaned over to capture her lips in his, sucking on her bottom lip slightly. She runs her fingers through his hair, tugging on the locks caught in between her fingers softly. He moaned into her mouth, and she felt thrilled that she can affect him like that. A loud thud broke their kissing session apart followed by a muffled giggle.

"James, shh..you're making such a racket." Bella's eyes widened when she heard Victoria's voice. Jasper was visibly shaking as he kept his laughter in.

"I don't care." James said before Victoria squealed. Bella hugged Jasper tight, pressing her lips against his shoulder, trying to keep her laughter in also.

"Babe, we're outside your sister's bedroom."

"Shit, shhhh" James said, and they heard the two love birds trip and stumble their way down the hall.

"I am so going to pick on them later on in the morning." Bella said after wiping the tears that formed from her silent laughter.

"You mean afternoon." Jasper said with a grin.

"I doubt it, wedding remember." Bella reminded him. "So we better get to sleep now. Will you stay with me Jazzy?" Bella bit down on her lip, waiting for his response.

"I'd loved to." He dragged Bella down on the bed with him. With her back facing his direction, they fell asleep spooning.

Bella woke up with the sunlight streaming through her window, and by the feeling of something poking her from behind. She can hear the deep shallow breathing coming from Jasper behind her, causing a smile to break through her lips. She made it through one night without nightmares and that was because he was with her. Feeling a bit brave this morning, she squirmed against the item poking her. The arm that was casually draped across her waist tightened up and pulled her body flushed against his.

"Bella," He moaned out, leaving small warm kisses on the back of her neck. "I'm trying to be a gentleman here." He mumbled against her skin, as his hand stroked her flat stomach over her shirt. Sighing softly, she quickly turned around to straddle his waist. Jasper's once sleepy eyes where wide open now, as he felt the heat emitting from between her thighs.

"What happens when I don't want you to be a gentleman?" Jasper groaned from Bella's confession.

"Baby, I know you're a virgin." He rubbed circles on her thighs with the heel of his palms. "I want your first time to be perfect and not rushed through." She felt her heart leap in her chest. He really did care that much for her.

"Wait, how did you know I was one?" She said raising an eyebrow at him while pursing her lips in concentration. She was pretty sure, that she had never mentioned to Jasper about her lack of experience.

"James is a chatterbox, believe it or not."

"Oh I believe it," Bella explained to Jasper about her knowledge on what happened to him this year.

"Well, at least I don't have to explain that to you." He said rolling his eyes at James inability to keep a secret.

"Jazzy, what are we?" She blurted out. Keeping herself occupied by tracing circles on his chest with the tip of her finger. Jasper hummed in satisfaction.

"Well I know I'm doing this all wrong," He said laughing. "But I want to go on a date with you, then I'll ask you to be my girlfriend then you'll say yes and.." Her laughter cut him off.

"You're so sure of yourself huh?"

"Hey, I have better moves than your brother!"

"I know you do." Bella winked at him, but her once happy smile turned into a frown. "But Jasper, what about college?"

"Well, where ever you go I'll follow you." He said nonchalantly.

"What?" She said in surprise. "No Jazzy, I don't want to be the reason that you can't follow your dreams."

"Bella my dream is to be with you, I love you." She looked up at him, tears hazing her vision. "Baby don't cry, I'm sorry this is all so sudden and.."

"No, I love you too." And it was the truth. She didn't acknowledge it before but she now understood that weird sensation she felt whenever she was with him. It was love. Over the past few days her feelings for Jasper grew, especially after the incident. She always knew he was her Romeo. "But you don't have to leave Cali. I got a scholarship at the Art Institute at San Diego and one at New York. But I'm definitely choosing San Diego." She said with a bright smile. Jasper looked at her with wide eyes and a goofy smile on his face.

"Fucking sweet!" He hollered out and grabbed Bella in a tight hold, jumping up and down on the bed.

"Keep it down will ya!" A pair of voices said from down the hall followed by a feminine 'shit'.

"Well the cats out of the bag." Bella giggled out, wrapping her arms around Jasper's neck as she kissed him all over his face.

"I love you Bell Swan." Jasper said with affection.

"I love you Jasper Whitlock. Now let's get ready for a wedding."

"Hell yeah, you better catch the bouquet babe."

"Slow down, cowboy."

"With you never.."

**A/N: Now I know I should have added a lemon in here…but it didn't seem to fit well with the story. Jasper is too much of a gentleman. Anyways…I was thinking of writing another part where James, Victoria, Jasper, and Bella are all at California…and their small adventures through it all. Give me your thoughts about it. And yeah..you might wonder why the rest of the Cullens aren't in here. Well honestly, I wanted to try this story out with minor characters instead. Since come on…we rarely see James and Victoria as the good guys. So yeah leave me some reviews please! I would really appreciate it :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You guys reviewed and a lot of you wished for me to continue so here is the second chapter. And sorry for this late update, the first chapter for this story actually took me a while to write up. Since I don't have a beta. I had to double check everything out..and clearly I still have those minor mistakes. So to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and alerted thank you all so ever much!**

* * *

Thunder rumbled outside and the whole room shook a couple of seconds later in delay. The rain that was hitting the glass window sounded like a thousand pellets being tossed hard against it. Bella walked over to the window and cringed as the dark sky was illuminated by a bolt of lightning, following a loud boom. She pulled the blanket that was currently wrapped up around her body tighter. She then tugged the bindings close, blocking the sight of heavenly destruction. Her heart jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to a hard defined chest. Relaxing a bit she leaned her head back against his shoulder, letting out a shaky sigh.

"We moved to California and our happy welcome is a thunder storm." Bella grumbled with her eyes tightly shut as she listens to the steady breathing behind her.

"Well look at it this way, you won't be getting homesick." He replied with a light chuckle.

"Oh shut up Jazzy," she nudged him with her elbow to his stomach.

"Omph! Easy girl, I need my stomach for your delicious cooking." Ever since Jasper had a taste of Bella's cooking, he was done for. He knew he would always love her even if she was the worst cook out there. But her actually being a hell of a chief surprised him. He never did believe her at first, but she did prove him wrong one night.

_"I'm starvin'," Jasper groaned out after a night of dancing at the wedding reception. Peter and Charlotte's wedding was a big hit. Practically everyone at Forks was there, seeing as how the whole town population knew each other well enough. Bella couldn't keep the smirk of her face when it came to the bouquet toss. It was something that will be part of her memory forever. Bella, Victoria, and Angela stood at the far back in the group of unmarried ladies. The three of them weren't in any hurry of getting hitched so they stood at the very back in hopes of not catching it. Well, they were proven wrong. Apparently, Charlotte had a pretty good pair of strong arms. Somehow she managed to toss that sucker about six feet high in the air, clearly missing everyone at the front. Angela was the first to nudge Bella as she saw the bouquet heading towards their direction. Normally, any girl would try to get in line of it but not these three. Bella pushed Victoria onto the falling path of it. Victoria panicked and pulled Angela to catch it, but she kept her place and distance from it. In the end the bouquet bounced off of Bella's head and into Victoria's arms by accident. The look on James' face was priceless, again Bella wished for her camera. _

_"You just ate at the reception!" Laughter erupted from Bella as she watched Jasper emit moaning noises and rubbing his stomach. "What the hell do you have in their Jasper? A monster?" _

_"Mmmm a monster you say?" He then let out a deep rumbling growl and pounced at her, missing her by a few inches. Bella let out a squeal, and ran straight into the kitchen. "Grrrr..come here precious." Bella stood at the other side of the bar, sticking her tongue out at him. "Don't tempt me babe." Jasper grinned, eying her tongue with interest._

_"Jazzy you're such a perve."_

_"This is what happens when I hang around your brother too much." Just then his stomach rumbled, making both of them fall into fits of laughter. "I told you I was hungry."_

_"Okay, okay I gotcha. I'll fix you up a quick meal." Bella turned towards the fridge to search of something to make._

_"You a cook?" Jasper took a seat on one of the bar stools, watching Bella dig around the fridge with her hips swaying side to side. His eyes were trained on the material clinging to the curve of her ass, making him momentarily forget about his hunger for food._

_"Jazzy?...Jazzy!" _

_"Huh..what?" Jasper looked up at the same moment Bella turned around to lift an eyebrow at him. With a carton of eggs in one hand and a bag of vegetables in the other, she made her way to the counter to mix up the ingredients for her special omelet._

_"I was saying, yes I'm a cook. Well, I consider myself an okay chief." She said as she took a bowl from the cabinet and a whisk. "Anyways, what were you thinking about earlier? I called your name about four times." Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jasper give her a sheepish smile. He wasn't sure if she'd like the fact that he was practically ogling her ass for the past few minutes._

_"Uhm nothing, I guess I was deep in thought." __**In thinking of ways to do with your ass**__. He shifted around in his seat as his jeans started to get a bit uncomfortable. Bella noticed his squirming about, but kept her comment to herself. She pretty much could guess by now, what his thoughts were about. Whisking the ingredients all together, she couldn't help but smile wide that she could actually affect someone like that. _

_Thirty minutes later, Jasper was leaning back and rubbing his stomach satisfied. "Damn babe, you make one hell of an omelet!" Bella laughed and set the rest of the dishes in the washer. _

_"Told ya and that was just an omelet. You should try my pasta dishes sometime."_

_"You are definitely my dream girl."_

"Mhmmm my delicious cooking you say?" Bella turned around, wrapping her arms around his waist causing the blanket to slip off her shoulders. Bella then rose on her toes to kiss Jasper softly on the lips. They arrived at California just this week, and the weather had been nothing but gloomy. They both decided that it'll be cheaper and money wise for Bella to stay with him in his apartment as they both finish up college. Her parents were at first against it. They did see Jasper as son to them, however, boys will be boys and they will always crave what boys crave. But after Bella explained all the pros of staying together in one apartment, they reluctantly agreed.

Bella, herself, secretly feared living with Jasper. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. It was more towards the fact that she didn't know Jasper that well. She feared the future outcomes that might happen. Like the possible fights over something simple like laundry or the dishes or just mainly disagreements on their lifestyles. However, as the days passed by they learned to cope with one another. They did have a little disagreement here and there, but then all couples did. And now here they were together in a rainy day, groping and kissing to pass the time.

Jasper's hands slowly made their way down Bella's back and over her ass where they took permanent residents. She giggled when he squeezed her cheeks together with his palms.

"Mmmmm I never thought you to be an ass guy." She mumbled against his lips as he rubbed circles around her backside.

"Well what can I say, your ass is perfect for my hands. See?" He gripped her ass and lifted her up, making her wrap her legs around his hips. "They were meant for my hands." He smirked, nibbling on her lower lip.

"Oh, yup..I can tell," Bella pressed her breasts against his chest, as her hands made their way up his shoulders and straight into his blonde waves. Suddenly, someone was knocking on their apartment door.

"Fuck!" Jasper groaned out in frustration, eying the door like it was a monster. Bella giggled and gave Jasper another wet kiss before letting her legs loose around his hips.

"Better see who that is."

"It better be important, or that say person will get my wrath." Jasper gently lowered Bella down on the ground and adjusted his jeans to accommodate his presentable hard-on. With a frustrated sigh, he walked towards the door just when another loud knock was heard. "Hold your horses! I'm coming!" He opened the door and came face to face with no one other than Lucy, his ex. Jasper's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Jay! Oh gosh! I missed you so much!" Lucy lunged herself at Jasper, but he quickly took a step back barely missing her assault. "Ugh, Jay don't be like that!" She put on what was supposed to be a pout, but really she looked as if she ate something sour.

"Lucy, please get out of here." Jasper said in a calm tone. Bella could tell he was holding in his anger at this point. And being as she was the girlfriend in this relationship, she did what every girlfriend would do and that was protecting her man.

"Jay, I know I made some mistakes in the past but I changed!" Bella rolled her eyes, like having some other man's child would be considered a minor mistake that can be changed in a short period of time. Can she be more dense? Having heard enough, she stomped her way to the doorway to actually see who this woman was. When her eyes finally caught sight of Lucy, she froze before letting out a loud snort.

"It's you!" Jasper looked at Bella in surprised than confusion. He would have thought she would have been pissed off or the least jealous, but her face showed a whole other emotion.

"Excuse me?" Lucy looked at her with a sneer on her face. Flinging her pale blond hair over her shoulder, she raised an eyebrow up at Bella. "And you are?"

"I'm his girlfriend." Bella said in a calm tone and slid next to Jasper's side wrapping one arm around his waist. "And you must be the gold digging, cheating whore of an ex of his?" Jasper was shaking as he tried to contain his laughter in. The look on Lucy's face was pure shock with a mix of hatred. He was amazed at how brave Bella had turned out to be. The once shy timid girl from his senior year was gone and replaced with a well spoken woman.

"Who are you to say that!" Lucy screamed out, pointing an accusing finger at Bella.

"Well, you see you're telling Jazz here that you changed but honestly you never did." Lucy opened her mouth to say something but Bella cut her off. "Please don't toss in more useless excuses. I saw you at the cafe down the street, smooching around with a French dude."

"A French dude? Well now, whatever happened to Cameron?" Jasper asked with an amused look. Lucy stuttered like a fish out of water.

"Wow, cheating on your baby's daddy? That's low. Well anyways me and my lover here are busy so bye!" Bella pulled Jasper back in the apartment, closing the door right on Lucy's face.

"That was interesting." Jasper muttered and shook his head.

"I'm guessing she needed some cash?" Bella said while rubbing Jasper's cheeks with both palms. "My poor baby you," she cooed.

"Ha, ha..now where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?" He looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a presentable smirk on his lips. Bella looked up at him lovingly. She never did understood how lucky she could be to have him. Staring deeply into his gray eyes that seemed to drown her, she slowly brought her lips closer to his. The knocking on the door halted her, just a few centimeters away from his lips. Jasper let out a frustrated groan, raking his fingers through his hair. "What the hell!" Bella giggled and Jasper narrowed his eyes at her. "Not funny love." He poked her at her waist, while she stuck her tongue at him. "Very mature," he teased. Walking towards the door again, he pulled it opened swiftly with a growl. "What?"

"Dude, that's the fucking welcome I get when I visit your ass?" James snickered while behind him Victoria bounced from side to side, trying to peek inside the room.

"I thought you were Lucy." I let out a sigh and gestured them to enter.

"I know I saw her on our way here. Victoria scared her a bit though." He smiled and wrapped his arm around Victoria's shoulder, gazing down at her with pure affection.

"Her fault for staring at you, and giving me the bitchy look." Victoria scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. James laughed and kissed her forehead.

"You know you're the only girl for me." He stated as a statement rather than a question. She looked up at him and a slow smile appeared on her face.

"I better be," With that final declaration she struts in the apartment, her heels squeaking a bit from being wet outside. "Bella!" She lunged herself at Bella with a quick big hug. Bella fell back a couple of steps back from the great force. Victoria was a 5'5" beauty with a well toned body. It didn't take much for Bella to lose her balance from the sheer force, since she was merely 5'2" and skinny. "Wonderful weather we are having huh?"

Bella laughed, "Yeah, it's like Cali knows we're here. So what's the surprise visit for?" She asked, leading Victoria to the couch. Victoria and James decided as well to live together in the same apartment that was just a couple of blocks away from them. Victoria's parents didn't care much of what she did as long as she kept it within the law. Bella did thought before her friend had the easy life. But Victoria thought the opposite of it, she would wish that her parents would worry and care for her as much as Bella's did.

"We were bored and we thought, hey minus well hang out with you guys!" Bella raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't believe that those two could actually be bored.

"Vicky," Bella crossed her arms and waited for Victoria to explain more.

"Okay, okay.." She looked over her shoulder to see James and Jasper having a quiet conversation at the kitchen area. In a low voice she explained to Bella why they were visiting at a rainy day like this. "Well, uhm...you see..I kind of hinted to James I wanted to visit you." She let out a sigh. "You see James has been acting funny ever since the wedding incident."

"What incident?"

"You know the fucking bouquet toss?"

"That's all!" Victoria slapped her hand over her best friend's mouth.

"Shhhh.." Narrowing her eyes at Victoria, she slipped her tongue out and licked the hand covering her mouth.

"Ewww!" Victoria screeched and tackled Bella. James and Jasper turned their attention to their girlfriends who were now practically wrestling on top of the couch.

James looked back at Jasper with a smirk, "You know if Bella wasn't my sister I'd consider that hot."

"That's fucking sick James."

"What?" Jasper shook his head at him. He will never understand the way his friend's mind worked.

"What did you do that for?" Victoria huffed out and grabbed Bella's arm dragging her to the floor with a soft thud.

"Cause your hand smelled bad!" After a little poking, shoving, and tickling; they both considered to call it truce.

"Okay, back to the reason. I never knew James would be so superstitious." She scoffed while Victoria frowned at her, her hair practically sticking up in different places.

"But...that's just it...it makes me wonder if he's scared of actually marrying me." Bella never saw Victoria this sad before. She knew that her best friend's feelings run deep, but she never knew it was this serious and so soon. Resting a hand on her shoulder, Bella gave her a small smile.

"I'm sure he wants to marry you someday. But this is my brother..the ladies man. He never did picture himself a married person. So I'm sure he's just scared, but I know he cares for you deeply. It shows clearly in his face like a crystal ball." It was sincere words, Bella could see the pure happiness etched on her brother's face every time he saw her walk his way, or just her voice. James' was smitten, whether he liked it or not.

"You think so?" Victoria's face started to perk up at the thought that James really liked her, actually more than liked her.

"I'm positive. Heck, I grew up with the guy. It's your job to try and convince him. Let him realize his true feelings for you. I know you can do that with ease."

"Thanks Bella," Victoria leaned over to give her a tight and hug. "You're the best friend I can ever ask for aside from Angela." They both laughed and frowned a bit at the name. Both of them missed her quiet dearly, but it was Angela's choice to stay back at Washington and attend college at Seattle. At least she was happy since she had Ben to keep her company. The two actually hit it off well after the party even with the certain events that happened that night.

"I miss her," Bella mumbled sadly.

"I know me too. But we'll end up hanging out together again someday." Victoria nodded with determination. "Anyways, since you helped me with my James' problem I shall help you with your Jasper problem."

"Jasper and I have don't have a problem." Bella replied with a frown. She knew their relationship was going great and that both sides had no problems that needed fixing.

"I'm talking about you two's intimate problems." Victoria whispered with a grin. Bella blushed crimson red and glared at her friend.

"No we're fine."

"So you guys did it already?"

"Well no.." She hesitated in answering.

"Then we'll fix that up!"

"But he wants it to be perfect..I don't want to push him. And honestly I'm in no hurry."

"Pure Queen..well at least let's get you prepared." Victoria implied with a knowing smirk.

"What do you mean by that?" Bella asked carefully, afraid what her answer will actually be.

"Shopping of course!"

"Crap."

"Let me clarify it. Online shopping and mall shopping!"

"How the hell is that even better?" Victoria shrugged her shoulders in answer.

"Hey we rarely shop, but there are times when we have to do what girls are born to do. Since we are the only ones capable of being patient." Bella sighed in defeat.

* * *

_One week later.._

"Beeellaaaa...all done! Now of to the mall!" Victoria shouted out running out of Jasper's office. Jasper and James decided to have a guy day once the sun finally took over the sky. Bella rolled her eyes, slipping her black flats on she tried to think of ways to escape this grueling torture. She loved Victoria as a sister but she just couldn't handle her style, which consists of everything dirty.

"What did you do?" Bella asked her too eager friend carefully. The look on Victoria's face was pure excitement.

"Oh just some girl essentials." She waved it off as something unimportant, but Bella wasn't fooled one bit. "Okay, don't freak out but I ordered you a beginner's starter pack online."

"Huh? Is that some code for dirty lingerie?"

"Nope, dirty lingerie will be purchased at the mall."

"What?" Bella's face turned a shade of red. The idea of buying such items in public was humiliating.

"Oh suck it up." Victoria placed her hands on her hips, tapping the tip of her heels on the floor.

"I bet you do all the time.." She muttered under her breathe so that Victoria didn't hear it. Unfortunately, she had the hearing of a hawk and barked a 'how did you know' to which Bella shivered in disgust.

"Eww that's my brother! I don't want to know!"

"Ugh. Whatever..come on already! We have a whole day of shopping! Plus I got to get a gift for your brother. That douche didn't tell me!" Victoria went on complaining to Bella how James didn't inform her of his birthday. Bella could tell that this affected her friend more than she let on. Their relationship hasn't been bad or good either. If things didn't start to improve, Bella would take matters in her own hands. She knew those two love each other, but both were stubborn as hell to admit it to one another. Her thoughts were interrupted by Victoria letting out a frustrated half scream. "I swear, he's just asking for it!" Bella just nodded her head and allowed her friend to tug her out of the apartment building, going straight to Victoria's red convertible.

After a few minutes, Bella finally came to reality that they were driving towards LA. "Vicky, where are you taking us?" She looked around wondering where in hell she was driving to, they were no longer in San Diego.

"Since we don't know the guy's plans, it wouldn't be safe to shop around San Diego. Our secret surprise will be ruined." She replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Aren't you exaggerating a bit? I doubt our paths will cross since San Diego is pretty big."

"Bella, you can never be too careful." Victoria said with a shake of her head. Bella frowned and kept her mouth shut. When Victoria was this determined on her plan, nothing can persuade her to change. Instead Bella took out her iPod from her purse and began shifting through her list for something to calm her irritation. An hour later they were standing outside of Cerrito's Mall entrance.

"Geezes Vicky, you drove like how many miles just to get here?" Bella shook her head as she stepped in the Macy's department. The first thing to hit her senses was the smell of expensive leather. They were in the men's department surrounded by leather shoes and fancy men apparel.

"Shut it and let's just start this." She said eying the merchandise in display. Bella frowned and complied to follow her around, glancing from the left to right she saw other men watching them in interests.

"Vicky, hurry up. I feel like a piece of meat around here." She whispered after grabbing a hold of her arm.

"What's bad about that?" Victoria asks, looking through a display of watches.

"Well the fact that they're old enough to be our dads is the bad part." She muttered, trying to keep the grimace of her face.

"That's gross..let's get out of here." In quick haste they weaved through the pack of customers in the perfumed department, with a couple of declines on free samples from the employees. "Finally, freedom! Hmmm now where too...Oh look!" Victoria pointed at a store at the left corner that had a display of women and men clothing in a much younger version.

"Now that's James' style." Bella said in approval. Victoria grabbed a hold of Bella's hand and pulled her in the department store. Three Days Grace blared out from the store's speakers at the ceiling. It was pretty much packed up from teenagers to mid-twenties people. She and Victoria decided to go separate ways, both of them shopping for different reasons. She was currently looking at a black retro shirt when a snicker caught her attention. She lifted her gaze to see two girls giggling and shifting glances at her, obviously. Bella should have known Cali would be filled with some snobby rich kids. She just didn't know it would be that quick to meet up with some of them. She sneered at them and walked off to find Victoria.

"Slut," they muttered behind her back. Bella was just about to turn back and give them a verbal smack down when a sales associate walked up to them and kindly asked them to leave. To which Bella couldn't help but smile at the incredulous looks on their faces. Serves them right, she thought happily. They walked off with scowls on their faces, swaying their hips in an exaggerated manner.

"Sorry about that miss.." The sales associate with short blond wavy hair told her with an apologetic smile.

"I'm Bella and its fine..," She looked at her name tag. "Chelsea. I was bound to meet people like that eventually." Chelsea laughed and nodded her head.

"Yes, there are ton of them around here. California the home of the Hollywood stars." They both laughed. "So anything I can help you with?"

"No, I'm fine. My friend, Victoria, is looking for a gift for my brother." Chelsea raised an eyebrow in confusion. "She's dating my brother." Realization dawned in her cerulean colored eyes while her mouth formed an 'o' in acknowledgement. "Speaking of which, here she comes." Victoria walked up to them carrying a load of clothing in her arms.

"I don't know what to buy for him." Her eyes were wide and she was nibbling down on her lower lip in a nervous habit. Chelsea gave her a reassuring smile.

"Let me help you out." Within thirty minutes Victoria was at the cashier's desk paying for the clothes to gift to James.

"What happens if he doesn't like it? Maybe he was hoping for something else and-" Bella covered Victoria's mouth with her hand replaying the action she did to her last week.

"Vicky, you've been dating James for what? A couple of weeks? He'll like the gift..he's not a picky guy alright?" Victoria nodded her head and Bella pulled her hand away from her mouth.

"I know, I just want this to turn out right." She said, handing her card to Chelsea.

"Victoria.."

"Vicky, you've been like a second savior of mine." Victoria said, smiling at Chelsea.

Chelsea laughed, "Vicky, don't worry. Just don't give your guy any men's cologne or any hygiene related products and you're fine."

"She's right," Bella added with a giggle. "I'll be pissed off if Jasper gifted me with a bottle of perfume. That's like saying 'you smell so here'." The three of them chortled together. Chelsea handed Victoria her credit card back and her bag of newly bought clothes.

"Yeah you both are right." Victoria let out a long gust of air from her lungs and straighten her posture. "Okay, I'm perfectly normal again."

"I hope I'm not intruding, but are you guys new around here?" Chelsea looked around making sure the staff manager wasn't nearby to see her conversing with the customers far longer than necessary.

"Actually we're new to Cali, we're from Forks, Washington. We basically moved to San Diego to be with our boyfriends." Victoria answered, stuffing her receipt in her shoulder bag.

"San Diego? Oh wow, I'm moving there next week to start my college classes!" Her voice was littered in excitement. "This is my last day at work."

"This is perfect we can hang out!" Bella said taking out her cell from her bag. "Give me your number and we can meet up once you move to San Diego. Heck, we can even help you move."

"You guys don't have to." Chelsea smiled shyly.

"Oh hush, we're bored down there anyways minus well do something product before classes start." Victoria waved her hands up theatrically. Chelsea gave her number to Bella, who promised to text her back so she can get her number in return. "See you soon Chelsea and thanks again!" Bella and Victoria waved good bye at Chelsea before leaving the store. "So aren't you happy we drove all the way here?"

"Okay, okay you were right," Bella admitted. Her cell then rang in the tune of Where's My Angel by Metro Station, the caller id revealing the name of someone she missed dearly. "Cheeka!" She screamed into the receiver after answering it.

"Is that who I think it is?" Victoria asked, her voice getting higher in excitement. Bella nodded her head and Victoria, literally squealed. "Put her on speaker bitch!" Bella pressed the button and they heard the voice of their friend Angela.

"Hey!" Angela's static voice shouted through the phone's mini speakers.

"Eeep! Ange! How are you?" Victoria laughed and pulled Bella to sit on an empty bench in the middle of the mall's walkway.

"I'm good. Oh my gosh, I have good news!" They can picture Angela jumping up and down from the sound of her voice.

"What!" Bella and Victoria shouted at the same time, getting hooked on the giddiness of Angela's voice.

"I'm moving to Cali! Ben got a late later from a college at San Diego and he has a scholarship to play basketball for some team." Bella giggled. Angela wasn't a sports fanatic. Well the three of them weren't that much of fans to say the least.

"That's wonderful news! But wait which college are you attending now?" Bella asked.

"I got approved at a couple of colleges down there, but I just stayed because of Ben." She let out a sigh at the other end of the line. "The things we do for these guys."

"Agreed." Victoria said in a serious tone. "They are fucking lucky."

"Hey my man said he'd go anywhere I go." Bella's voice was full of pride and happiness.

"Luck bitch," Victoria growled out while Angela mumbled it out.

"What did you say Angela?" Bella asked clearly hearing their friend curse for the first time.

"Nothing," she squeaked out. Victoria let out a snort, pushing her hair over her shoulders while shaking her head in amusement.

"Our innocent best friend is finally getting corrupted." Victoria rubbed an imaginary tear away from her eyes followed by a sniffle.

"Oh, ha ha. By the way we'll be flying down there this weekend!"

"This is perfect! You can meet with this new girl we met at the mall. She's moving next week to San Diego and she's awesome." Bella smiled wide, she couldn't believe the luck they were getting. Not only did they have the possibility of a new friend but their old longest best friend was moving to join them here at California.

"You guys replaced me already?" Angela questioned, though they can hear the tease in her voice.

"Hardly, girl. You shall always be the angel of the group besides we might just turn into the great cuatro amigas instead of the musketeers!" Victoria cheered out.

"There must be a better name." Bella scoffed, crinkling her nose at the name. "At least with musketeers we sound professional. Cuatro amigas sounds like we're drunk buddies."

"Shut up we'll figure something out." Victoria stuck her tongue out at Bella, who in return tried to grab it between her fingers.

"You guys stop bickering, anyways I got to go. I have things to pack and ship. I'll talk to you guys again with the time of our arrivals!"

"Alright girl, you take care! We love you!" Bella and Victoria each gave their audio kisses to her before disconnecting.

"Oh look it's a sign," Victoria turned to Bella with a mischievous smile while pointing at the pink store in front of them.

"Aw fuck," Bella groaned when she noticed it was Victoria's Secret. The frown on her face slowly crept into a smile, turning her head towards Victoria they both held identical smiles.

"Oh hell no! No Victoria jokes!" Victoria's smile switched into a frown while Bella giggled.

"Too bad if I have to suffer, so should you."

"Bitch."

"You know it," Bella grabbed her friend's hand and tugged her in the store, feeling actually excited to go in a lingerie store.

"Stupid name.." Victoria muttered.

* * *

**A/N: I would have used Maria in this story...but I find that completely weird and awkward using my own real name. So yes I was blessed with that name. Also I'm not really that good when it comes to the kissing scenes or anything intimate. Reason 1 never been kissed before [fuck my life] Reason 2 never had a physical relationship. I did had an online boyfriend..the douche married another girl when we were still together. He's reason was because she was getting deported so he was helping her out. Such a nice guy right? Wait..that sounds like a good story eh? lmao...anyways hope you guys enjoyed reading! Please review! I love getting them, they are like my addiction lol**


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